After the college experience flipped upside down in March 2020, local college students learned about a new sacrifice: snow days. The Martin area got three to five inches of snow Monday, Feb. 15. University of Tennessee at Martin officials announced Sunday evening classes would be virtual for the week.
Some students were frustrated to continue on with class through the snow.
UT Martin senior Aly Rusciano said she misses the childlike joy associated with having a day off, and she thought her classmates felt the same.
“No one was talking. Students were disengaged, just being there because they have to be there. The morale is already so low. I feel like a snow day would have been what could lift everyone's spirits,” Rusciano said.
Rusciano said the joy lost this week was an unnecessary sacrifice.
“A snow day isn't a part of the pandemic,” she said.
Though virtual learning is seen as a viable second option, not every Tennessee university made the same choice. Middle Tennessee State University cancelled all classes Feb. 15-17.
UTM has asked professors to be understanding in the event of power or WiFi outages.